Suggestions for Struggling Students
THINGS YOU CAN DO
- USE PARENTCONNECT. Email Ms. Traci Fultz ([email protected]) in the counseling office. She will send your parents a username, password, and instructions about using ParentPortal in MiStar to keep track of your grades.
- GET HELP IN ACADEMIC CENTER. Seek help in the Academic Center. Ask your mentor teacher if there is a teacher or student who can help you with the subject you are struggling with. Visit that person every day.
- GET HELP DURING NHS TUTORING. Attend NHS tutoring in the Media Center after school on Tuesday and Thursdays, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
- GET ORGANIZED. Use folders and binders. No loose paper in backpacks or in books. Put the date on all of your notes and homework. It’s easier to put things in order by date.
- FIND STUDY PARTNERS. Have a study partner in each class. Find a friend to work with and contact whenever you’re absent. Have two names and phone numbers in your agenda for friends in each class.
- ASK YOUR TEACHER FOR HELP. Ask your teacher when you can meet to get additional help.
- DO HOMEWORK AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY. Designate a specific time for homework every day—same time and same place. Start homework before dinner. Reward yourself with breaks.
- ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS. Put away your phone, turn off the TV, quit texting, and step away from the computer. Budget your time so you can use them again after your homework is done.
- SEEK OUT A PAID TUTOR. Ask your counselor for a list or find it on the Counseling webpage.
- MODIFY YOUR STUDY TECHNIQUES.
- Create flash cards for studying.
- Make your own test/quiz.
- Have parents or friends quiz you after you have studied your notes.
- Teach your parents. If you teach it, it helps you learn.
- Use your resources—siblings, parents, grandparents. Use Google searches to find helpful websites in the subject you are struggling in (i.e. hotmath.com).
- Look over old tests and correct mistakes
The Pomodoro Technique
What is it? The Pomodoro Technique is a time‐management tool developed in the 1980’s and has since been used by professionals and organizations around the world to promote productivity. Pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian, and the popular icon associated with the Pomodoro Technique is the tomato‐shaped kitchen timer (which you use with the Pomodoro Technique). An essential component of the Pomodoro Technique is that it requires the student to actively plan out each study session and be thoughtful about what tasks to accomplish. Another essential component of the Pomodoro Technique is that it teaches users how to effectively take breaks when working.
Why does it work? Your life is hectic. Right now, you probably have readings to catch up on, a paper to write, and that nagging physics homework in your backpack. Where do you begin? The Pomodoro Technique helps you plan out your course of action in a very thoughtful way so you feel you have a sense of direction. Sometimes “time” is your worst enemy; if you have too much time before your work must be done, why bother starting now? If you don’t have enough time, you’ll rush through it and end up with a product that doesn’t really represent what you are capable of. The Pomodoro Technique will help you because it will teach you to use time as a tool to systematically accomplish each task on your to‐do list. Also, when you work, you often reward yourself with breaks (which are good!) but those breaks are often spent doing other activities (like checking email, Facebook) that end up consuming far more time than you intended. Then, it feels impossible to get back on track with what you were doing. The Pomodoro Technique will help you structure your time by taking small, frequent breaks. The Pomodoro Technique also helps you learn to accurately gauge how much effort and time academic tasks will require.
How does it work? The Pomodoro Technique is a way of taking your study time and chunking it into small, bite‐sized pieces, and self‐monitoring what you accomplish while you work. First, you create a task‐list of the work to be accomplished and estimate how many “chunks” (or “pomodoros” which are 25‐minute sessions of uninterrupted work) each task will take to complete. Next, you set a Pomodoro Timer (or other software) and get to work. After 25 minutes, the timer will ring, signaling you to record what you accomplished and take a short, 3‐to‐5 minute break. As you check things off of your list, you are giving yourself feedback about what you have accomplished, which will help you in the future in setting timelines for completing work. Also, you will find it rewarding that your “to‐do” list is shrinking, and being replaced by a “done” list!
Resources:
Change That Habit!
The best way to change your academic habits for long‐term success is to invest time and energy into practicing strategies like the Pomodoro Technique. It may not work great right away, but the effort you put in to practicing better academic habits is directly proportional to the success you will experience.
Why does it work? Your life is hectic. Right now, you probably have readings to catch up on, a paper to write, and that nagging physics homework in your backpack. Where do you begin? The Pomodoro Technique helps you plan out your course of action in a very thoughtful way so you feel you have a sense of direction. Sometimes “time” is your worst enemy; if you have too much time before your work must be done, why bother starting now? If you don’t have enough time, you’ll rush through it and end up with a product that doesn’t really represent what you are capable of. The Pomodoro Technique will help you because it will teach you to use time as a tool to systematically accomplish each task on your to‐do list. Also, when you work, you often reward yourself with breaks (which are good!) but those breaks are often spent doing other activities (like checking email, Facebook) that end up consuming far more time than you intended. Then, it feels impossible to get back on track with what you were doing. The Pomodoro Technique will help you structure your time by taking small, frequent breaks. The Pomodoro Technique also helps you learn to accurately gauge how much effort and time academic tasks will require.
How does it work? The Pomodoro Technique is a way of taking your study time and chunking it into small, bite‐sized pieces, and self‐monitoring what you accomplish while you work. First, you create a task‐list of the work to be accomplished and estimate how many “chunks” (or “pomodoros” which are 25‐minute sessions of uninterrupted work) each task will take to complete. Next, you set a Pomodoro Timer (or other software) and get to work. After 25 minutes, the timer will ring, signaling you to record what you accomplished and take a short, 3‐to‐5 minute break. As you check things off of your list, you are giving yourself feedback about what you have accomplished, which will help you in the future in setting timelines for completing work. Also, you will find it rewarding that your “to‐do” list is shrinking, and being replaced by a “done” list!
Resources:
- Perhaps the best resource is a free e‐book available at http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/. The cheat sheet on the reverse of this handout is from this website.
- If you enjoy using technology, there are online and downloadable versions of the Pomodoro Technique. www.mytomatoes.com is a great website that walks you through using this technique, and a list of free software versions can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_technique_software.
Change That Habit!
The best way to change your academic habits for long‐term success is to invest time and energy into practicing strategies like the Pomodoro Technique. It may not work great right away, but the effort you put in to practicing better academic habits is directly proportional to the success you will experience.
Other Outside Help
- Free online resource to assist with math and sciences - http://www.khanacademy.org/
- The Michigan Electronic Library: http://mel.org/SPT--BrowseResourcesNewMeL.php
- Math help: http://www.webmath.com/
- Study Skills: http://www.how-to-study.com/ or http://www.studygs.net/ or http://testtakingtips.com/
- Various Subjects: http://www.hippocampus.org/
- Making Flash Cards: http://quizlet.com/
- Free online resource to assist with all subjects - www.sophia.org
- Oakland University’s Reading Clinic – Application & Fee Required. The Reading Clinic is for children in grades 1-12. Fee is $250. The clinic is held at Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services building. Paula Peck is in charge of the clinic applications. She can be reached at [email protected] or 248.370.3054
- Sylvan Learning - http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/
- University of Detroit Mercy Reading skills and Speed Reading Programs for Children and Adults. Locations in Rochester, Troy and Bloomfield Hills. Lots of different sessions are available. For more information or to Register, call 1-800-978-9596.
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